Union Camp 2012 !

Union Camp ended less than 24 hours ago (I started this blog post 24 hours after UC, but it took me a few days to write + waiting for photos) , and I have A LOT of things to blog about in this post so it's going to be abit wordy I think? And lolol I realized I bitched about the councillors abit in my pre-UC post so dunno if I'll want them to read my blog. Oh well we'll see.



This blog post in a nutshell:

• Comparison between UC and Arts Camp


• Brief recap of activities + thoughts


• Thoughts about my OG

So how was Union Camp? Well I must say I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Let's just look at a quick comparison between the two camps:

Comparison between UC and Arts Camp

Programmes

Union Camp definitely wins in this category. It's not that the games and programmes are more fun, I would have to say both are quite equal in terms of that. It's just that I find UC's organization and structure really damn keelat! Like there was minimal waiting time between events, planning was crazy meticulous (we had like 3 hour briefing on Day 0, not to include the additional briefings for the OGLs ), everything just ran smoothly and like clockwork, and there were many contingencies prepared in case something screwed up.
Of course if you try hard you can find the odd flaw here and there, but overall, the structure and organization of the camp was pretty damn solid.

Spirit

Arts Camp easily wins this category. It just feels like building a strong spirit wasn't on the OComm's mind for UC, but for Arts Camp, the tradition of a strong spirit is passed down. For example, there is very little emphasis on cheers for UC, with little incentives to cheer (i.e. powerups). I'm not even a big fan of cheering but I appreciate the value of cheering as it keeps your energy level and morale up, which I feel to be quite important.

Related to spirit would be the non-permanence kinda feel to the OGs - in Arts Camp your OG is permanent and you will come back the following year and you will have seniors crashing to visit. You feel bonded to your OG. You feel like you belong. In UC, at the back of mind I'm thinking that I won't see most of this people ever again, perhaps until next UC, cos they're from different faculties (apart from OG outings)

Brief recap of activities 

Day 0 - Identity Preparation

I only arrived in the afternoon while the rest met in the morning to discuss and shop for things. I actually expected them to be in the middle of doing the identity but they only just returned from purchasing the materials.

We made them tiny little tote bags (big enough to fit a wallet and HP) with our OG name and their name on it!



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="362"] The stencil we used. The glowing effect is cos of the spraypaint residue! Damn cool right looks like photoshop or something.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="344"] Someone had to hold down the stencil, so I sacrificed my fingers :([/caption]

What amazed me was how easily we all got along - most of us barely knew each other (first time meeting each other for many of us) but we got along just fine and there was no awkwardness or anything. Maybe it's the mindset of people who signed up to be 'councillors'? I don't know. And it also helped that we had the epic personality of Shun Gui to really break the ice for us - I think he's just a natural conversionalist or something - in the first 30 minutes when he met us he was already rattling on and asking us questions to get us all talking and I thought it was really good! In mind I was thinking 'Thank God we have him, he's going to be great to have in the OG!'

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="346"] the epic Shun Gui!  Doesn't he already LOOK funny? HAHA.[/caption]

After some briefings and mass dance rehearsal, we had our supper + councillor HTHT which ended at 3AM+, then we finally slept, with our wakeup time at 7.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="672"] Shrek Councillors! :)[/caption]

Day 1 - Station Games

So the freshies began arriving... and there was very little time for icebreakers as we had to teach them some cheers to be used for the house head entrances. In fact one of the freshies asked me 'how come no icebreaker games?' So... I don't know.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576"] Icebreaker time! We're actually panicking abit here, me and the female councillors on my left and right, cos we messed up and didn't have an identity for one of the girls and had one identity for some girl who didn't exist.[/caption]

The rest of the day was station games which I have little recollection about because I didn't play them. I just remembered the freshies got dirty and wet, and we camwhored at every opportunity :D

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="672"] Our OG's name was 'Shrek', hence the Shrek ears pose![/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="538"] Human Text Twist! I love Text Twist but dunno why I didn't really contribute much during this game lol.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="576"] I like this picture![/caption]

Night time was SP ! Disturbed freshies for a while but after a while it just got boring leh. Like felt a bit too long and I'm not the kind that really enjoys disturbing blindfolded people.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576"] hehe she's oblivious[/caption]

We had supper and HTHT after everything was over, things were still kinda simple and mild. The councillors had another round of HTHT after that and so we ended at about.. 4? Maybe slightly earlier I can't really remember. And so that means about 3 hours of sleep.

Day 2 - Outdoor Games

There was mass dance rehearsal in the morning for the freshies which meant the councillors could sneak back up to have a nap a 2 hour break for us, and later on in the day was outdoor games at Chinese Garden!

It was my first time there so it was quite a cool experience, quite a nice serene place for a quiet date and chat.  The games there were alright I suppose, I just didn't like perspiring a lot in the slightly humid weather and walking ALL OVER lolol. Lazy ass me.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576"] We were next to this skating ramp and there was this little boy doing tricks so we asked him to show us a grind and he did it ! haha[/caption]

And we had a super nice jumpshot but it was abit small cos too many people!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/582149_4251208288046_1066034260_n.jpg

Click to view here! I'm right in the middle, see how high I levitated above the rest heheehaha.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="691"] We were supposed to pose with 100 plus bottles, and my creative OG came up with this lol.[/caption]

Night time was SP Games, which meant another 4 hours of blindfolded action for the freshies and 4 hours of tagging along the 'fun'. There was a lot of waiting time for each station, because only one pair could play at a time. I think I would be a terrible SP la, I don't think I can keep up a conversation for so long!! I think even normal non-blindfolded scenarios I won't be able to talk for so long! Like what can you talk about sia. Previous schools. Hobbies. Favourite XYZ. Traffic Light Status. What you're studying in NUS. What school. Oh crap said that already. Stuck!

After everything ended and supper and HTHT, we had a second round of a smaller group HTHT where I got a huuuuuge ego boost hehehhehehe. I won't say what here cos it's quite embarassing but I was super flattered and honored and happy and hehehhehe. Ok have to stop smiling for no reason lalala. I'm surprised that people could be surprisingly honest there, think everyone quite open and don't mind, for example, saying that they think so and so is their ideal guy/girl when that person is there listening.

We slept really late again like maybe 5+? Cos councillors had a second round again after the freshies one ended.

Day 3 - Pool Games!

We went to Jurong West Swimming Complex for pool games which were quite fun cos can play in the water and it's not like gross sea water, just gross pool water. Ok fine the pool looked pretty clean but still! But the most fun part for me was when games were over and it was free and easy, and some of us went to ride the looonng water slide down ! So fun! I wanna ride again haha.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="288"] Otw back from pool day on the bus! Yeeteng looks totally photoshopped in here haha.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="483"] Shun Gui's face is just epic as always[/caption]

At night was SP revelation and Murder Investigation which used to be one of my favourite things (in Psych Camp) but because I was quite drained and coughing like a maniac I kinda zoned out and wasn't really listening to the investigation and the 'suspects' talking. Think half or most of the freshies were also super zoned out haha I see their faces all damn shag and exhausted.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="672"] My tongue sticks out when I'm in deep concentration and thought[/caption]

After supper and some games (I liked the Big Chicken Small Kitchen game! Try saying 'big chicken small kitchen'x3 really fast. That isn't the game but it's fun. The game is  a variation of 'big fish, small fish') we had a HTHT session which revealed quite a few third basers! (kiss + touch top and bottom) I'm surprised they're so open about such things la. The times are shifting lolol. Maybe 5 years later they will discuss their escapades during HTHT.

We slept at 5+ again, after the councillors had their own HTHT.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="288"] Too tired to keep awake during HTHT[/caption]

I thought the best HTHT session was on the 2nd night, not because of the egoboost thingy, but because we talked about really interesting stuff and everyone was quite open. One of it was 'First impressions' which is always fun. The group was a bit big though, so we had to fastforward things a bit at the end.

Other than that, overall, I didn't really enjoy them that much? I like a really small group, like 2-4 people. That's when you can really come out with the most intimate stuff and it's the most fun! And they need to be the right people too, like people who know how to be interested. I don't know, it's just a pet peeve of mine when people seem disinterested when you talk, whether it is due to shackness or what. That's why on the last day HTHT I was quite sian to say anything cos everyone is literally drifting off into dreamland lol.

Day 4 - Beach Day

Aloya hot baby let's go the beach, yea girls in bikini are waiting for me ~

haha if you know this song you're retro. I like the song! :D



 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="760"] I think my hair quite nice here if only I wasn't unprepared for the shot![/caption]



Beach day was well, games at the beach. Wasn't really involved in the games and at the end there were several dunkings but the girls were quite happy to just run into the water before any dunking began so we only dunked like the female councillors who were still dry. After the whole playing in the sea thing, we washed up and went to palawan for the finale... which ended up pretty lame as the emcees weren't the best and think everyone was mega shack. I don't know. The upside was that my house won best house!! Woohoo! That's 2 out of 2 now :p



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="454"] Epic Shun Gui gives out the OG cards[/caption]

It all ended with some clubbing bit which my OG zi-hai and jumped and danced madly in front and then some of us went for supper and then byebye! I crashed for 14 hours lolol.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="768"] Shrek 2012 :)[/caption]

Thoughts about OG

A quote from my precamp blog post: "Well on the plus side I know one of the councillors and one of the freshies". I actually asked to be slotted into Susu's OG when I signed up so that I knew at least one person, and the other person was Samuel whom I knew from Starcraft 2. The odd thing was that I BARELY spoke to these two people in camp! I actually spent more time interacting with others and stuff so ... haha just found it interesting.

This time round I didn't really try that hard, not as hard as I did for Arts Camp. I was abit lazy to mix around ALOT though I tried a bit. I ended up hanging out with lixia/baohui/yawen most of the time, though I did mingle with the odd freshie like muhammad (we call him 'momo'! so cute haha!)/nick, yeeteng, jingyuan, and abit with the others la.

[caption id="attachment_1664" align="alignleft" width="473"] No I didn't crop this picture. From L-R : me, Yawen, Lixia, Baohui[/caption]

At the back of my mind, I was also thinking 'I'm not going to see any of these people for at least another 6 months, barring outings (because I'm going SEP this semester)' so it's just hard to form bonds when I'm going to lose them for sure when I g0 overseas. Ok maybe I'm being too pessimistic but it's high chance la! So little time before I leave to bond anyway. I hope to at least stay close and in contact with my two Arts girls bao and yawen =/



I felt the overall camp time abit ... short? I don't know why. Arts Camp is 5D/4N but the 5th day doesn't exactly have any activities, just card writing + announcing of winners. But somehow Arts Camp just feels like a longer, more complete event, while UC, when it was the last day, I felt myself thinking 'huh? Last day already??' But ok la, many of the people were quite physically exhausted - like Jiangwei (who won Best Councillor woot!) who told me 'I don't think my body can last another day of camp' when we were leaving on the last day.

It was a fun camp, got to meet new people, laughed a whole bunch, and brought a few valuable friendships out of it.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576"] Shrek! <3[/caption]